Top 5 Best Games Of 2018 To Play In 2019

2018 had been a great year in terms of everything, and for gamers, there haven’t been any better time to be one. From first party console titles to bombastic triple-A releases on all major platforms. There hadn’t been a better year for games for the last couple of years. The following games are some of our very favourites for this year. Read further to find out about the best games of 2018 to play in 2019.

The list, however, is in random order, as all these games are equally good and best serving to their specific genre in our opinion. Also, these games are our personal picks from what all we have played and completed so far.

Unfortunately, Red Dead Redemption 2 is not on the list solely because of its sheer length and quality of content. That has me still wandering the wild west doing petty jobs and ignoring the main campaign. But it sure is one master class of a game and should already be there with everyone who considers themselves a gamer and has a console obviously. That being out of the way here are the five best games of 2018 you should play in 2019.

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man

Superhero games had always been a case of hit or miss in video games. But with the introduction of Rocksteady’s Batman games (Batman Arkham trilogy), it was proven that a superhero game can be a great one. Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 further establishes this notion.

Marvel Spider-Man Storyline

Spider-man is an open-world action adventure game from insomniac studios, with all those similar open world game characteristics, but without ever making the player feel bored of the grind. The main star of the show here is the fantastic story that must not be spoiled here. And the game’s recreation of the New York City itself. Swinging through the labyrinth of buildings and other urban artefacts is the real joy here.

Players will find themselves sinking several hours into the game doing nothing but swinging through the map and taking snaps using the in-game photo mode. Also, the availability of a variety of spider-man suits from the classic era to the modern MCU-era makes it a must-play game this year.

2. God Of War

God of War did an incredible job at re-introducing us to the character of “Kratos”. Credit: SONY

The God of War series of games was never a great game in its genre. The story and the characters were not that great and likeable, and the series had a hard time making its identity among other action games. But with the 2018 soft reboot of the series Sony Santa Monica studios have made a statement for the series.

God Of War Storyline

The story for this game continues an unknown amount of time after God of War 3’s events with an older and a way mature Kratos and his son Atreus. The story is a complete roller-coaster of emotions along with an excellent third-person combat system. Also, this time instead of the iconic Blades of chaos of Kratos the player is given a frost axe called the leviathan axe. The axe also for some reason acts as Thor’s Mjolnir.

God Of War Gameplay

The game has some simple RPG-like elements like crafting and tier based armours and upgrades. The world of God of War, unlike in previous games, is set around Norse mythology. Along with very well fleshed out characters and the interconnections they establish with Kratos and his son during the course of the game. If one owns a PlayStation 4 system then most probably it already is in their collection. And if one doesn’t, then this very well is the reason to get a PS4 this year.

3. Darksiders III

Darksiders III brings the old-school gaming style back to life with some modern twists.Credit: THQ Nordic

THQ’s Darksiders franchise has been a cult classic among a group of gamers who loved the biblical plot of the game(s). Unfortunately with Darksiders II’s poor sales and shutting down of THQ fans of the series had less to no hope of getting another game of the series.

Darksiders 3 – Rebirth Of The Franchise

But THQ Nordic and Gunfire Games had a surprise for the fans, which was the Darksiders 3. Keeping up with the series tradition of having a different sub-genre for every game in the series. The original Darksiders having more action-heavy gameplay with little hints of RPG elements in a linear campaign. Darksiders II, on the other hand, is a slow-paced open world game with a massive emphasis on RPG and loot progression.

Darksiders 3 has its own standing among the others. The third title is not completely linear but not that open, it’s like a dungeon with the main boss for every sector of it. The game sees the players take control of Fury one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in a post-apocalyptic world. Here she’s tasked with hunting down the Seven Deadly Sins that have escaped.

Darksiders 3 Gameplay

The game gives players a whip as their primary weapons and along with other secondary weapons like a spear, a hammer, etc. Like the previous games, Darksiders 3 is a mix of traversal, combat and occasional environmental puzzles. Gameplay wise the game is not as action heavy as the previous titles but focuses more on strategized combat.

Due to very limited marketing of the game, the player base of the game is very low. But, if one is a fan of the series and in general likes a straight forward action game then they should give this game a try. Also, in today’s date when games are becoming more agitated towards being served as live-service and microtransactions. It’s always good to see a game come out with a singleplayer focus and a finite amount of content without such “pay-to-play” elements.

4. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

Even though Shadow of the Tomb Raider does not bring much new to the series it still maintains the fun factor of its predecessors.Credit: Square Enix

Tomb Raider series has always been a must for anyone who enjoys an action-packed game. With a lot of shooting and obviously the intricate Tombs and their inhabited puzzles. For the 2013 reboot of the franchise the developers, Crystal Dynamics set out to establish a lore for Lara Croft. That sees her evolve as the Famous Tomb Raider Lara Croft as we know her.

The first game in this reboot was praised by fans, casual players and critics alike. In the subsequent year, Square Enix put out another game Rise of the Tomb Raider to high critical as well as community appraise. Eidos Montreal with partnership of Crystal Dynamics finally concluded the series with Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Gameplay

Players witness the final chapter in Lara’s destiny in becoming the action-hungry archaeologist. The gameplay is reminiscent of the previous titles. The player gets to use a variety of guns from pistols to shotguns to assault rifles. And Lara’s trustee bow makes a return. Also there is an upgrade system for each individual weapon. In addition, there are some quality-of-life changes made like equipping Lara with a grappling hook for traversal and an improved stealth system.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider very gracefully concludes the trilogy of the series with leaving enough room for a future title to follow. The story is similar to the previous two titles. We see Lara journey through uncharted landscapes and uncover the mysteries surrounding them. All while fighting with the Trinity. Trinity, without spoiling anything are the people who want to use these sacred lands and its artefacts to rule the world.

The main highlight of the game is its jaw-dropping visuals that on a standard console i.e. PS4 and Xbox One look pretty good. And even better on the Pro and One X versions of the consoles. But if one has a PC capable enough to crank out the maximum possible visual fidelity. That would be the most optimum way to play and do justice to the game.

5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a complete transformation of the regular Assassin’s Creed formula but to its fortune in a better way.Credit: Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s annualised franchise of sneaking, running and stabbing assassins during very influential times in human history. It was driven to a one year halt after 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate due to the same recycled Templars vs Assassins story with a map full of mindless collectables that caused a series fatigue for players and also a train wreck of a launch of 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity.

In 2017, players got Assassin’s Creed Origins a game that completely changed the gameplay theme for the series and delved straight into the pure RPG territory. Origins was met with a huge player as well as a critical appraisal for its world and gameplay alike.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Gameplay

2018’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey goes way deeper into RPG foundations laid by Origins and expands upon it. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the first game in the series to give players choice for dialogue options. At first, it may seem like a bit alienating for seasoned Assassin’s Creed players but this system is woven into a narrative in such a way that justifies the emphasis of these choices.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey lets the player choose from either a male character “Alexios” or a female character “Kassandra” for their journey into the Peloponnesian war in ancient Greece. The story is set way before in time even before the establishment of the brotherhood of assassins. The players are given a huge map of ancient Greece to explore using horses or on foot or by their ship. Since the story is set this very back in time the protagonists are not assassins but mercenaries in this world who are on the path of vengeance and reunion.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Weaponry

The game emphasises on level-based progression and every mission players undertake has a level cap also the open world is filled with loot that players acquire during combat as well as exploration. The loot consists of primarily weapons and armours. There is an abundance of weapon varieties to choose from i.e. swords, spears, daggers, maces, axes, etc. also the armour is found in five different pieces i.e. headgear, wrist gear(gauntlets), waist gear(belts), body armour and the boots. All these items have their respective perks and are of particular levels and rarity i.e. common, rare, epic and legendary.

The game also features naval combat reminiscent of the naval combat in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The players also have a dedicated skill tree for three major categories namely Hunter, Assassin and Warrior, each with their respective perks that the players can unlock by using skill points that they gain by levelling up. Players can have a maximum of 8 active skills at any given instant of time. Players can easily find themselves spending hundreds and hundreds of hours into the game collecting loot and designing their own odyssey in ancient Greece.

Anyone looking for a game that they can sink hours into and experience a good story that reacts to their very own choices made throughout must give it a try, also this is probably the only game available on this planet that lets you Spartan kick a soldier to its death while screaming “THIS. IS. SPARTA.” 300 style.

Suman handles all the gaming and related tech reports on Tecuila. He's a hardcore gamer and a very passionate tech enthusiast. He is an avid fan of stealth games over the traditional action games as he thinks stealth gameplay resonates much more to his persona.